


Safe Place

by octopus_fool



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23215876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopus_fool/pseuds/octopus_fool
Summary: Bilbo is looking for Thorin so that they can share their first New Year's kiss. But Thorin isn't easy to find...
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Comments: 2
Kudos: 74





	Safe Place

Bilbo started looking for Thorin ten minutes before midnight. After all, he wanted to share his first proper New Year's kiss with him. They just hadn't had the time or mind to do so during their journey.

He was not at the buffet. Flambard was stuffing seed cakes alternately into his mouth and into his  
pockets.

“What are you looking for?” Flambard asked around a seed cake. “If you don't hurry, you'll miss the big fireworks.”

“I'm looking for Thorin. Have you seen him?”

“Not since the main dinner,” Flambard replied.

“Thank you anyway,” Bilbo asked, wondering when exactly he himself had last seen Thorin. “Aren't you going to miss the fireworks too?”

“I'm quite happy where I am,” Flambard replied. “And I've already set off a number of firecrackers.”

“Well, happy eating then,” Bilbo said. “And if you do see Thorin, please tell him that I'm looking for him.”

“I will.”

Bilbo looked in the crowd outside, calling for Thorin as he walked.

“I haven't seen him in ages,” Adalgrim informed Bilbo, before they were both nearly knocked over by Paladin, Esmeralda and Adelard playing tag.

“Watch where you are going!” Adalgrim called after them, shaking his head. “Who would have guessed that having children causes constant chaos?”

Bilbo didn't say anything but secretly congratulated himself on his life choices.

Adalgrim jumped as Primula set off a number of firecrackers. “Seriously, were we ever that bad?”

Bilbo grinned. “Definitely, if not worse.”

Bilbo tried Gandalf next, who was going over his fireworks one last time.

“Gandalf, have you seen Thorin?”

The wizard shook his head. “I can't say I have. Are you telling me you've managed to lose the one dwarf in the Shire, even though he is taller than everyone here aside from me?”

Bilbo shrugged and climbed onto the chair standing next to Gandalf to peer across the crowd. Ferumbras was the tallest person he could spot.

“He doesn't seem to be out here,” Bilbo said.

“Well, if he isn't outside, he must be inside,” Gandalf said distractedly.

Bilbo was not sure if stating the obvious counted as wisdom, but he was quite certain that pointing that out wouldn't be wise. So he thanked Gandalf and went back into the smial.

The buffet was now completely deserted aside from Flambard, so Bilbo hurried on towards the room they were staying in for the festivities. From outside, he could hear a round of wizzers going off and the excited murmur of the crowd in expectations of the big firework.

Bilbo really had been hoping to spend the evening with other things than looking for Thorin.

Their room was empty too and Bilbo was just wondering where else he could look when there was a series of loud bangs outside, which Bilbo recognised as being some of Gandalf's larger firecrackers, the ones the tweens always tried to get their hands on. There was a soft whimper from under the bed.

“Thorin?”

There was no reply, but Bilbo checked under the bed anyway. And there, curled up and staring at Bilbo with wide eyes, lay Thorin.

“What are you doing here?” Bilbo asked. “Why aren't you outside to watch the fireworks?”

“I... dropped something?” Thorin said, his voice slightly higher than usual.

“But why would you crawl under there completely just to... Oh.”

Another round of firecrackers went off and Thorin startled, squeezed his eyes shut and clamped his hands over his ears.

Although his knees and back protested, Bilbo crawled under the bed. “Don't worry, they aren't going to hurt you.”

Thorin opened his eyes and glared at Bilbo. “I know.”

“I'm not really sure what I can do to help you. I could ask Gandalf to postpone the fireworks, but I'm not sure if I'll run fast enough...”

“No, they're all looking forward to it. Just stay here with me... unless you want to see the fireworks, of course. I don't want you to miss them because of me.”

“Nonsense, of course I'll stay!”

“Thank you.”

Bilbo chewed his lip and wondered how to ask without making the question sound like an accusation. “Why didn't you tell me you dislike fireworks this much? We could have just stayed in Bag End rather than coming to Tuckburough.”

“I didn't realise how awful they are. I thought I'd be able to bear them, especially since even the smallest fauntlings seem to love them. I didn't think they'd be as loud as trees exploding in the fire, and the smell...”

“Oh Thorin.” Bilbo did his best to wrap his arms around Thorin in the confined space.

That was when the real fireworks started. Thorin flinched and clamped his hands over his ears again, burrowing closer to Bilbo. The bangs, shrieks and explosions echoed above them as Bilbo ran his hands over Thorin's trembling back in soothing circles. He whispered soothing nonsense that Thorin wouldn't be able to hear and stroked Thorin's cheek.  
Eventually Thorin's breathing calmed and his trembling became less. He still twitched when there was an especially loud bang, but not as badly as before. Bilbo could feel one of his legs go numb from the uncomfortable position, but he still held Thorin close.

Finally, after an especially loud finale, the firework stopped. Bilbo stroked Thorin's hair and kissed his forehead.

“It's over, Thorin. That was all.”

Thorin cautiously unclasped his hands from his ears. “Are you sure it's over?”

Bilbo nodded and smiled at him. “That was it. There may be a few more firecrackers, but the firework is over.”

Thorin reached for Bilbo's hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for staying with me. And I'm sorry for being so silly about the whole thing.”

“You're not being silly, and of course I'd stay with you. But you know, there was a reason I was looking for you.”

“And what was that?”

Bilbo smiled at Thorin. “We haven't shared our first New Year's kiss yet.”

Thorin chuckled. “I wouldn't want to keep you waiting any longer.”

The space under the bed was still constricted and Bilbo wasn't quite sure how long he would still be able to feel his leg, but the kiss was still perfect.

“Happy new year,” Bilbo whispered.

“Happy new year,” Thorin replied. “I am so glad to have you in my life.”

Thorin kissed him again.

“Could we maybe take this one level higher? It is a bit uncomfortable down here.”

“Of course. I'm sorry.”

They awkwardly crawled out from under the bed. Thorin bumped his head, cursing loudly. Bilbo's leg came painfully back to life but failed when he tried to stand up, sending him back to the floor. With Thorin's help, Bilbo pulled himself up and they tumbled into bed laughing.

From outside, the sound of the others celebrating drifted into their room, but Bilbo and Thorin had better things to think about.


End file.
